• by Melanie Mogey , Yesterday

The new US version of TikTok is here, and while the first day came with a few glitches (reportedly due to a data center power outage), the long-term identity of the app remains to be seen. Millions of brand advertisers and creators who earn income from TikTok are hoping to maintain business-as-usual and grow on the platform. As a Media Supervisor, I’m watching hesitantly for signs of accelerated enshittification - or, as Cory Doctorow defined it, the degradation of online platforms wherein services become worse for users in pursuit of maximum profit for shareholders. We the media buyers of ad platforms have already contributed to this process, and we must decide now to examine our own practices and stop subsidizing the internet’s demise.

TikTok, Instagram, Amazon, and Google Search are already on the slippery slope of enshittification. The backends become so big and clunky that only a seasoned buyer with a helpful rep on speed-dial can properly navigate them. Meanwhile, the execs piloting Big Tech have long since forgotten about the buyers (or users, for that matter) and keep looking toward the next shiny AI object to keep shareholders wanting more.

So, what can we do about it as buyers? For one, we can try to be good citizens of the digital environments we enter. Rather than barging in immediately with a million ads to cover every space, we ought to spend time observing the bottom-up cultural norms of each space and learn the local language first. Have the restraint to recognize that your brand may not belong in every channel. Ask yourself what you can offer the “locals” of a particular social network rather than what you can extract from it.

Similarly, focus on contextual advertising (placing ads that align with the content of a page or channel) rather than behavioral tracking. This reduces the platform's incentive to surveil users and makes your media plan more portable across different sites. And prioritize quality over quantity. Use inclusion lists (allow-lists), not just exclusion lists, to ensure your budget only goes to high-quality publishers that respect the user experience.

Also, favor ad formats that link to owned properties (like your website or product pages) rather than keeping users trapped in the network’s “walled garden.” This makes cross-channel measurement and attribution easier for you, too!

Finally, optimizing solely for “engagement” ensures that platforms will show your ads to the most “engaged” (i.e. outraged or addicted) users, which fuels a more toxic environment. Your most promising leads aren’t always the loudest. Instead, aim for downstream business outcomes like actual sales, long-term customer retention, and customer lifetime value. This helps your clients justify continued media budgets, and it removes the incentive for platforms to manipulate their algorithms to manufacture engagement.

We may not be able to control Big Tech, but we can do our part on the ground to help promote a healthier digital future that offers a more genuine connection for users and buyers alike. Time is running out. 

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